AT&T has completed its acquisition of AlienVault, bolstering its security portfolio, and AlienVault’s top exec is in charge of a new division.

The market-facing AT&T cybersecurity business division will be led by AlienVault president and CEO Barmak Meftah. Meftah will become president of AT&T Cybersecurity Solutions and CEO of AlienVault.

Meftah will combine AlienVault’s foundational unified security management platform and open threat exchange with AT&T’s suite of managed cybersecurity services, solutions and network visibility aimed at better protecting businesses.

The new division will focus on making AT&T’s cybersecurity capabilities and technologies accessible to businesses of all sizes globally.

AT&T’s Barmak Meftah

Under Meftah’s leadership, AT&T will continue to support and expand AlienVault’s investment in its multichannel sales community, including VARs, distributors and MSSPs, while also building on AlienVault’s foundational technology and threat research.  

“Whether big, small or somewhere in between, all organizations are now targets of the types of sophisticated cyberattacks that have bombarded large enterprises for years,” said Thaddeus Arroyo, CEO of AT&T Business. “AlienVault’s cybersecurity talent and threat intelligence capabilities, combined with our ability to deliver innovative threat detection and response solutions at scale, will help enable businesses of all sizes to better defend themselves.”

In a Q&A with Channel Partners, Meftah talks about his plans in his expanded role.

CP: How will the combination expand AlienVault’s and AT&T’s security capabilities?

BM: Businesses today – regardless of size or industry – need cyber threat detection and response technologies and services. With AlienVault, we are able to accelerate cybersecurity for businesses of all sizes. AlienVault’s expertise in threat intelligence improves our ability to help small and medium-size organizations detect and respond to cybersecurity attacks. AlienVault’s expertise in delivering threat detection and response to midmarket customers combined with our enterprise-grade cybersecurity portfolio enables us to provide scalable, intelligent, affordable security for business customers of all sizes.

CP: Does the combination create new and expanded opportunities for AlienVault’s channel partners? Can you give some examples?

BM: Now that the deal has closed, we are able to take our first steps toward integration of the portfolios. We know this mission to create a new cyber division will take time and look forward to sharing more details as the integration unfolds.

CP: Are AlienVault’s channel and business strategies changing with the acquisition? How?

BM: Both AT&T and AlienVault are committed to the AlienVault Partner Program, which enables leading VARs, system integrators, MSSPs and corporate resellers to sell and support AlienVault solutions in the global marketplace. It is designed to help them create new opportunities to grow their business quickly and make it more profitable.

CP: What are you most looking forward to accomplishing in your expanded role?

BM: I’m excited to take our first steps toward integration and building the new cyber division that’s independent, yet a part of AT&T. What excites us most about leading this new group is simple; we have …

… the noble opportunity to really make a difference in the world. Security is not a silver bullet, you cannot solve it; just like crime, you can only work (to) manage and minimize it. Today’s businesses need a trusted provider on this journey and AT&T serves as a trusted adviser to so many businesses across the globe already.

We have an incredible opportunity to create an end-to-end security platform and services encompassing both our services and technology, as well as the best from the ecosystem of our strategic alliances. As we bring this all together, it will radically simplify and automate how customers tackle this complex security need in both the enterprise and midmarket.

CP: Does AlienVault now have more of a competitive edge with AT&T? How?

BM: Yes. With this acquisition, AT&T is competitively positioned in [the] marketplace to provide threat detection and incident-response services to customers of all sizes, at scale. AT&T and AlienVault will continue to provide services in the security information and event management (SIEM) and MSSP product categories.